Welcome to the Skull Session.
Coach Lock is hilarious.
Micd up with Lock @Locklyn33 pic.twitter.com/FTZ28XfOug
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 7, 2025
“C’mon, play to your doggone name,” he said to Turbo Rogers. “I’m gonna call you Buick.”
Too good.
Have a good Friday.
“I CAN DO EVERYTHING.” For two seasons, Brandon Inniss has been patient. This fall, it’s time to strike.
“I feel blessed, man,” Inniss said last week. “I feel like it’s finally here, and I know what I can do. I know what my teammates believe in me to do, and I’m ready for the moment.”
What can Inniss do?
“I can do everything,” he said with an ear-to-ear grin. “That’s the beauty of it. I can do everything. I can play in the slot, I can play outside, I can block, I can catch, I can be in the backfield, I can throw.”
A self-proclaimed Jack of All Trades, Inniss hasn’t had many opportunities to showcase his talents through two seasons with the Buckeyes. As a freshman in 2023, Inniss earned 32 snaps on offense. He then earned 195 snaps as a sophomore in 2024 — fourth on the team behind Jeremiah Smith (774), Emeka Egbuka (756) and Carnell Tate (691) — and collected 14 catches for 176 yards and one touchdown.
Entering his junior season in 2025, Inniss knows a lesson John Cena learned 20 years earlier: The Time is Now.
“Mentally, it’s like you have kind of a change of mindset when you’re starting. I said that before, but it’s real. You have a change of mindset,” Inniss said. “It changes your mindset because when you’re a backup — I’ve never been a backup my whole life — so coming in here off the rip, it was already, like, ‘OK, now I’ve got to learn. I’ve got to watch. I’ve got to grow.’
“Now, last year, when Emeka didn’t know he was going to come back for his fourth year, I had to wait another year. Mentally, it’s like, ‘OK, now I’ve got to wait again.’ But I feel like, overall, I’m just in a better place. I’m ready to go.”
Inniss spent the offseason preparing his body for a larger role. He checked in at 6-foot, 199 pounds at the start of preseason camp following a summer in which he set personal bests in every workout and speed test.
“I feel really amazing right now,” Inniss said.
With one shot, one opportunity, Inniss plans to capture it — not let it slip. He’s watched. He’s worked. He’s waited his turn. Now, it’s Inniss’ time to shine.
LEFT SIDE, STRONG SIDE. Speaking of one shot, one opportunity, Ethan Onianwa will (maybe? ... keep reading) have that in Ohio State’s season opener against Texas, as the Rice transfer shows off his skills for NFL scouts while blocking Colin Simmons, Anthony Hill Jr. and Trey Moore.
This week, ESPN’s Matt Miller named the 2026 NFL draft prospects under the most pressure this college football season. Onianwa was one of them, along with Penn State’s Drew Allar, Miami’s Carson Beck, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and more.
Here’s what Miller wrote about Onianwa:
The Ohio State offensive line was a powerhouse in 2024, leading the Buckeyes to a national championship on the back of an elite run game. But starters Donovan Jackson, Josh Simmons, Seth McLaughlin and Josh Fryar are all gone. To help build a new front wall, the Buckeyes tapped into the transfer portal and picked Onianwa, who previously played at Rice.
A four-year player with the Owls, Onianwa has starting experience at both tackle spots, with nine starts coming on the left side last season. His stat line was absurd, with no sacks allowed and just eight total pressures and two penalties attributed to him all season. The 6-foot-6 Onianwa is listed at 357 pounds and plays with the power expected of a man that size.
Miller continued his breakdown with this quote from an AFC East area scout: “I can’t wait to see (Onianwa) against Texas. His agility and power on tape are insane. … We’ll know by about 1 p.m. if he’s a legit prospect or not.”
Will we know by about 1 p.m.?
Here’s where the maybe comes into play.
Earlier this week, Ryan Day said Ohio State has taken a closer look at Austin Siereveld protecting Julian Sayin or Lincoln Kienholz’s blind side this season.
“He’s getting work at left right now. Now, primary positions, secondary positions, these things are all in play, but we believe that he can do that — he can play left tackle for us,” Day said. “We certainly know he can play guard. Ethan, (Philip Daniels), those guys are all playing, Ian Moore. Those guys are all rolling and getting a lot of reps. … Kind of like the quarterbacks, we’ll let this thing play out and see where we’re at. Austin’s shown that he can do it. He can play tackle.”
Day’s comment could be nothing more than a reminder that Ohio State wants to cross-train its offensive linemen as much as possible. After all, you never know when your All-American guard will need to kick out to left tackle and block the future No. 3 overall pick in his first start.
Or…
Day’s comment could be a revelation that Siereveld is a serious contender to start at left tackle. If that were the case, I don’t think it should come as too much of a surprise. After an Iron Buckeye winter, Siereveld cross-trained at left tackle in the spring. He then had an Iron Buckeye summer, completing an offseason Day called “tremendous.”
I think we can still consider Onianwa a frontrunner to be Ohio State’s starting left tackle. The Buckeyes targeted the 6-foot-6, 357-pound lineman in the transfer portal for that purpose. But look out for Siereveld, a 6-foot-5, 320-pound man with a plan to prove he can be one of the team’s most valuable assets in 2025.
IGB, BIA, ETC. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler continued his 2026 NFL draft position rankings on Tuesday. After he named Max Klare as his No. 2 tight end and Sonny Styles as his No. 2 linebacker last month, Brugler tabbed Davison Igbinosun as his No. 5 cornerback this week.
Here’s what he wrote about the Ohio State veteran:
Best trait: Competitiveness in coverage
A long, lanky outside cornerback, Igbinosun has outstanding size (33-inch arms), athleticism and feel for the position, which allows him to stay in phase in zone or man-to-man coverage. Although his footwork needs improved consistency, he stays patient at the line before using his agility to eliminate space in coverage and find the football.
Igbinosun needs to cut back on early contact, but he was one of the best in college football last season at forcing incompletions, especially in press man.
Must improve: Coverage penalties
Considering he was the most penalized defensive player in college football last season, describing Igbinosun as “handsy” might be an understatement. He finished with 13 coverage penalties (11 pass interference and two defensive holding) and probably got away with a dozen more.
His aggressive mindset is part of what makes him a productive corner, but Igbinosun has too many undisciplined plays that lead to early contact and easy decisions for officials — something that must be cleaned up in 2025.
2026 NFL Draft outlook
After earning Freshman All-America honors at Ole Miss in 2022, Igbinosun entered the portal and landed at Ohio State, where he has been locked in as a starter the last two seasons. His tenure with the Buckeyes has been a roller coaster because of his physical nature and constant grabbing, which has made him a penalty magnet. But Igbinosun is an impressive athlete for his size and plays with the complete skills NFL teams covet.
Considered a potential Day 2 draft pick had he entered the 2025 draft, Igbinosun can secure top-100 status with improved discipline during his senior season.
Penalties, penalties, penalties — Igbinosun must commit fewer penalties this season, for Ohio State’s benefit and his benefit. Igbinosun is a competitive cornerback who likes to be physical, but it should not lead him to play undisciplined football.
I don’t care if Tim Walton has to put Igbinosun in oven mitts or tie Igbinosun’s hands behind his back — whatever it takes — I want to see Igbinosun clean up his coverage this fall. If he can do that, the 6-foot-1, 191-pound athlete has a chance to be one of the nation’s best cornerbacks this season and make himself some money in next year’s NFL draft.
THE BEST OF THE BEST. Sporting News is one of the five major NCAA-recognized organizations that select All-American teams, along with the American Football Coaches Association, Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
This week, Sporting News’ Bill Bender announced the publication's preseason All-American selections, and four Buckeyes made the list: Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs on the first team, and Carnell Tate and Sonny Styles on the second team.
Smith joined Alabama’s Ryan Williams and Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson as first-team wide receivers (I’ve been told I should write it like this: Williams and Tyson joined Smith on the first team), while Downs joined Texas’ Michael Taafee and Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman as first-team safeties.
Meanwhile, Tate accompanied Georgia Tech’s Eric Rivers and Clemson’s Antonio Williams as second-team wide receivers, and Styles accompanied Georgia’s CJ Allen and LSU’s Whit Weeks as second-team linebackers.
Of note, Texas led all schools with five selections, including three first-team players in quarterback Arch Manning, linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and Taaffe. Ohio State tied Alabama and Georgia for the second-most selections with four, while Penn State and Oregon both had three.
DAILY DUBCAST. Today's Eleven Dubcast welcomes back Dan Hope to discuss comments from Ryan Day that could indicate a decision by the end of next week on a winner in the Ohio State quarterback battle between Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz.
SONG OF THE DAY. "YUKON" - Justin Bieber.
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